BOZICH | No D in Indiana as Purdue rolls Hoosiers, 83-67

Indiana's Yogi Ferrell had to work for all 21 of his points in IU's loss to Purdue.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – They say the ball doesn't lie. Neither do the statistics – at least most of the time.

The numbers says that Indiana plays the most user-friendly defense in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers rank last in the league in points allowed as well as in defensive field-goal percentage.

Tom Crean's team figures to remain in 14th (last) after Indiana was dominated by Purdue, 83-67, Wednesday night in Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Boilermakers made 27 of 46 shots – nearly 58 percent. The Boilermakers had failed to score 70 points in five of their last six Big Ten games.

Purdue didn't look like the team that lost to North Florida and Gardner-Webb in West Lafayette – and Indiana did not look like the team that won Big Ten road games at Nebraska and Illinois. The Hoosiers made only four of 19 three-pointers and never established an inside game.

The loss gives IU its first-two game losing streak of the season. The Hoosiers (15-6), slid to 5-3 in the Big Ten, tied for fourth with Ohio State and Purdue. IU returns to Assembly Hall to play visiting Rutgers Saturday afternoon.

Purdue shot 63 percent in the first half, racing to a 20-8 lead. The Boilermakers scored 32 of their first 38 points in the paint, attacking the rim on nearly every possession.

A.J. Hammons, Purdue's mammoth senior center, made all four of his shots, moving without much resistance against IU's undersized front line. Hammons did not score another basket, finishing with 11 points and 8 blocks.

The start of the second half was worse for IU. Indiana's first four possessions resulted in two blocked shots, a missed three-point field goal and a turnover. Purdue's first four possessions resulted in eight points and three Indiana personal fouls.

It was 46-27 – and over – before Crean could signal for a timeout less than three minutes into the half. The Boilers stretched their lead to 20 before the Hoosiers rallied, but the game was never closer than 10 points in the second half.

Credit Matt Painter, the Purdue coach, with a solid defensive plan. He put a defender on Yogi Ferrell, Indiana's best offensive player on every inch of the court. For most of the game four Boilermakers dropped back into half-court defense, but Ferrell was challenged all the way up the floor.

It worked.

Ferrell scored 21 points, but he had to grind for every one of them, taking 20 shots and missing 11. After making 13 of 19 threes in his last two games, Ferrell went 1 for 6 from distance.

None of Crean's players made more than a single three-pointer. The only other IU player to score in double figures was freshman guard James Blackmon, but he missed nine of 13 field-goal attempts.

But it was defensively, again, where Indiana continually struggled. They were unable to stop Hammons in the first half – and unable to keep Purdue's guards out of the lane the entire game.

Purdue shot 33 free throws, making 25 as Indiana was called for 26 fouls.